Most word choice and imagery creates a picture of devastation and people's attempts to come to terms with what has happened

"The seven days war that put the world to sleep" - irony and euphemism

Biblical reference "seven days war" is ironic as it took 7 days to create the world and 7 days to destroy it

"put the world to sleep" - describes appalling destruction of war (euphemism). Suggests memory is too painful

Ironic suggestion putting to sleep has been an act of mercy as pre-holocaust world is referred to as "That old bad world"

"On the second day...On the third day...on the sixth day" Religious overtones acts as a reminder that it could be God's will.

Death, devastation and desolation conveyed in a series of images

Warship "heading north" - going nowhere

Alliteration "Dead bodies piled on the deck", " A plane plunged over us into the sea" - sense of oblivion

Enjamberment of "Thereafter/Nothing" shows they are waiting for something to happen but nothing does.

Personification and alliteration to emphasise the brief period to undo all creation and all history "That old bad world that swallowed its children quick/ At one great gulp"

Idea world is a living organism "...the nations lying asleep/ Curled blindly in impenetrable sorrow" - intense despair felt among survivors at what has been perpetrated. This is also a euphemism for the number of dead. Suggests that they couldn't see what was coming and that they are lying in the foetal position for protection.

Silence of post-holocaust world is such that should the radio burst into life "on the stroke of noon" no one would listen as bad memories would be brought back of "that bad old world"

Technology left behind as most been destroyed and what remains are ugly symbols of a past better forgotten.

Threatening simile of tractors "they look like dank sea monsters, crouched and waiting" - because technology has been destructive, left tractors and use oxen.

Almost biblical phrasing "...we have gone back. Far past our fathers' land" leads to mysterious revelation in the second section.

Section 2

Line dislocation indicates a change in time and tone from fear and despair to wonder and optimism

Climax of sound using onomatopoeia and alliteration dramatises the coming of the horses "distant tapping" , "deepening drumming","hollow thunder"

Simile "Like a wild wave charging" indicates the speed and power of the horses.

"fabulous steeds" suggests beasts from myth and legend

"old command" Suggests hint of something beyond human and mortal

"half-a-dozen colts" - new life. Horses are a sign from God; modern day equivalent of rainbow.

"Dropped in some wilderness of the broken world" Bringing old and new together

"But that free servitude still can pierce out hearts" moves them greatly

"Free servitude" - means horses will work for survivors but of their own free will.

Tone of optimism "our life is changed; their coming our beginning" - beginning of new world may result in a new cycle of technological advancement and hence destruction.

Muir’s use of word choice, for example the repeated use of biblical and archaic language gives the poem an extra dimension indicating the survivors’ longing for a simpler life. It also adds irony to the poem. Muir refers to “The seven days war”. This alludes to the creation of the world in the Bible and how the destruction of it could, ironically, take the same amount of time. Muir carries on this idea of God’s creation when describing the events of the war itself. He parallels the format of the Bible by giving a day-by-day account of the unfolding events. He mentions “On the second day…” and then subsequent days when describing events. These religious references perhaps explain the survivors’ need for a simpler, purer existence away from the technology-driven, largely atheist society which brought about “the seven days war”. The use of archaic language throughout, also shows the need for a simpler life. Words such as “moulder” and “loam” reinforce the farming theme of the poem. The survivors want to live as their ancestors did, living off the land, not depending on technology and Progress. These words reflect the period of time they appear to want to return to. Muir also uses words such as “fabulous steeds” and “knights” to show how alien and mythical the horses appear. The are so unfamiliar with the horses that they have only seen in fables and story books from medieval times. The language makes the horses appear, simultaneously impressive and intimidating. Verbs and adjectives are used to create dramatic and graphic images in the poem. For example, the verb “failed” in the line “The radios failed” stresses how much the people depended on the radios and other technology in society. It adds a hint of personification, indicating that radios were in such constant use as to be vital to the day-to-day existence of humans. The fact that they failed the people, stresses the relationship between them and how let down the survivors feel. The verb “piled” from the line “Dead bodies piled on the deck” again continues to the effect of the poet’s message. “Piled” suggests that the bodies were thrown to one side with little regard and no respect for the dead. It clearly emphasises the chaos and destruction whilst suggesting also that the dead greatly out number the survivors. So much so, that the dead are not afforded the briefest of burials. Muir’s use of adjectives also contributes to the poem’s effect. One such adjective is “impenetrable”. He tells us the dead are, “Curled blindly in impenetrable sorrow,” This is a very dramatic line, expressing the overwhelming grief and hopelessness of the survivors. “Impenetrable” itself indicates how much suffering those who dies must have experienced, the suggestion being that for them there will never be any escape from the horrors they have both seen and felt. Muir refers to the horses as “strange” on a number of occasions- This adjective makes it clear how detached individuals have become from Nature. Their technology run world had no place for animals and so the horses seem completely astonishing to them. Various sound patterns are used throughout this poem producing different effects. One such pattern is the build-up of monosyllabic wording within a line. Muir tells us “We leave them where they are and let them rust”. The rhythm allows the line to be more definite in showing how the people feel. They want nothing at all to do with the tractors, just leaving them to rot away. The tractors symbolise the technology that led to the horrific “seven days war”. The survivors are now too scared that the cycle of progress will begin again to even touch them. Another literary device Muir uses onomatopoeia. When the horses arrive, they area only heard at first softly, then slowly the noise intensity increases. The words “tapping” and “drumming” are used to illustrate this change. This approach builds up the tension and drama indicating how important the horses will be. Alliteration also produces dramatic and descriptive sound patterns. “A plane plunged over us into the sea” The “ps” in this line create a very dramatic, harsh and final feeling to the line. They stress the horrible nature of war. The word “plunge” especially gives the impression of the plane’s brutal and deadly decent into the water clearly ruling out any chance of survivors. Imagery play an important part in the poem. Dramatic and graphic scenes are produced using different techniques. For example, we get the simile “like a wild charging wave” this illustrates the immense power of the horses. It makes the horses seem unstoppable, creating a truly overwhelming vision for the people watching. An example of Muir’s use of personification is the line: “That bad old world that swallowed its children quick”. This shows how immediate the world’s destruction was, implying that it was the world that destroyed itself. The people don’t want this kind of world to return because of their fear of history repeating itself. Euphemism is used to try and soften the fact that millions have died. “the nation’s lying asleep” As well as this line gives us the chance to be optimistic. Instead of dead, the nations are described as asleep, therefore allowing the possibility of rebirth, for the people to start living again. The way Muir structures his poem is significant. It is divided into two long stanzas, the first describing the aftermath of the war and the second with the survivors rebuilding their lives. The horses are mentioned at the beginning of the poem but not fully introduced until the second half. This overall structure emphasises Muir’s strong belief in the inherent strength of Man in that the poem is very clearly a path from failure to hope, from and end to a new beginning. Word placing is used to great effect in this poem. The word “beginning” is the final word, creating an ironic note as the first book in the Bible starts with the phrase “I n the beginning”. This stresses that the survivor are starting again, rebuilding their lives and the world. Ending on this optimistic note, it is clear that there is hope for the future, but there will always be Progress, therefore the chance of a future evil returning. In conclusion, Edwin Muir has successfully used a wealth of literary devices and techniques to show how a future evil could cause untold devastation to our world.